The questions surrounding the Playstation 2's online capabilities have been answered. More peripherals are in the cards for owners of the Playstation 2, which will use modem technology based on designs from Conextant Systems. This technology comes in the form of an external USB modem, which has been dubbed USB SmartSCM V.90 by Conextant. A number of peripheral companies have already announced plans to develop modems for the PS2, and developers are lining up to make games that make use of the online capabilities the PS2 will now have. Additionally, the companies developing the Playstation 2 browser have made assurances their software will be compatible with the new modem.

Of the information regarding games, the two announcements that should be of the greatest interest come from Square and Enix. Square has confirmed they plan to release an online Final Fantasy, presumably Final Fantasy XI, and Enix has announced that they will release an online version of Dragon Quest before the end of 2001. Square's plans have been known for some time, but the fact that there is an online Dragon Quest title in the works is something of a pleasant surprise. It is not known if the previously announced Dragon Quest VIII is the title in question; it could in fact be an entirely different game since, after all, Square is developing Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy XI simultaneously. Other companies reportedly developing online games for the Playstation 2 are ASCII, Capcom, Hudson, Koei, Konami, Namco, and Taito. The modem will be available in the first quarter of 2001.